Karl Bushby is 'overwhelmed' by Humber Bridge crowds on the eve of finishing his 28-year walk home to Hull

Karl Bushby, 57, a former British paratrooper who set off from the southern tip of Chile in November 1998 with just $500, is expected to complete his self-named 'Goliath Expedition' at Queen Victoria Square in Hull at 11am on Monday. He described being moved by the crowds who gathered to cheer him across the Humber Bridge on the eve of his finish. The journey, originally planned to take 12 years, has stretched to 28 after visa rows, political obstacles and treacherous terrain repeatedly halted his progress.

Bushby covered 31,000 miles through 30 countries on foot, banning himself from using any motorised transport at any point.

Among the most dangerous crossings: 31 days crossing the Caspian Sea using a flotation vest in a technique he called 'floatimming', and a near-fatal plunge into freezing waters on the Bering Strait.

Waiting at the finish line is his son Adam, 36, and a 12-year-old granddaughter he has never met.